Northern Rivers Region

Employment by industry (FTE)

In the Northern Rivers Region, Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer, generating 19,892 FTE jobs in 2022/23.

Full-time equivalent (FTE) employment is modelled by NIEIR and takes into account differences in hours worked between industry sectors. It is a measure that allows direct comparison of employment between industries in the Northern Rivers Region.

Typically, industries such as Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services, which employ many part-time workers, have lower FTE employment than total employment.

FTE employment is calculated directly by dividing the total hours worked in each industry by 38. By comparing the number of full-time equivalent jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see the structure of the Northern Rivers Region's economy. This can be done by directly comparing the area to its benchmark, or by using a location quotient to look at the relative size of industries.

FTE employment should be viewed in conjunction with Employment by industry (Total) and Employment by industry (Census), for a full understanding of the industry breakdown in the area. Worker productivity data shows the value of a worker in each industry to the local economy. Employment locations shows where employment is taking place in each industry sector.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

Please note: FTE employment is derived from Census data but has been corrected for the known undercount of employment in the Census. Detailed notes about how the figures are derived can be found in thespecific topic notes section.
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Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
Northern Rivers Region2022/232008/09Change
IndustryNumber%. Regional NSWNumber%. Regional NSW2008/09 - 2022/23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing6,3905.46.16,6707.69.2-280
Mining5400.53.02040.22.9+336
Manufacturing6,8445.86.57,2238.29.9-379
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1,5691.31.69181.01.5+652
Construction16,19413.814.110,06011.510.5+6,134
Wholesale Trade2,3172.02.12,6823.13.0-365
Retail Trade11,75310.08.411,52513.110.8+227
Accommodation and Food Services9,4568.06.87,0208.06.8+2,436
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,9413.44.23,5594.14.8+383
Information Media and Telecommunications9300.80.61,2621.41.0-332
Financial and Insurance Services1,6241.41.81,5701.82.0+54
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,6731.41.31,5801.81.5+93
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services6,1625.24.73,7684.34.4+2,394
Administrative and Support Services3,9113.32.82,1002.42.2+1,811
Public Administration and Safety6,3105.46.24,9785.76.2+1,332
Education and Training10,9159.38.67,1558.27.4+3,761
Health Care and Social Assistance19,89216.915.510,39611.910.2+9,496
Arts and Recreation Services1,4181.21.21,2581.41.2+160
Other Services5,6564.84.33,7364.34.5+1,920
Total industries117,495100.0100.087,664100.0100.0+29,831

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2024. ©2023. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). NIEIR-ID data are adjusted each year, using updated employment estimates. Each release may change previous years’ figures. Learn more

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
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Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers in the Northern Rivers Region in 2022/23 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (19,892 people or 16.9%)
  • Construction (16,194 people or 13.8%)
  • Retail Trade (11,753 people or 10.0%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 47,838 people in total or 40.7% of the local workers.

In comparison, Regional NSW employed 15.5% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 14.1% in Construction and 8.4% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of the Northern Rivers Region and Regional NSW were:

  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Mining (0.5% compared to 3.0%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Retail Trade (10.0% compared to 8.4%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Health Care and Social Assistance (16.9% compared to 15.5%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Accommodation and Food Services (8.0% compared to 6.8%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in the Northern Rivers Region increased by increased by 29,831 between 2008/09 and 2022/23.

The largest changes in the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers between 2008/09 and 2022/23 in the Northern Rivers Region were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+9,496 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Construction (+6,134 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Education and Training (+3,761 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Accommodation and Food Services (+2,436 full-time equivalent local workers)

Northern Rivers Region

economic profile